Six months of ideas and initiatives for Kartell design Made in Milano

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1 Six months of ideas and initiatives for Kartell design Made in Milano Kartell is inaugurating its presence at Expo Milano 2015 with a series of initiatives and events scheduled at both its flagship store on Via Turati and at the newly renovated Museo Kartell, in the city and on the Expo site with exceptional collaborations and partnerships. Milan, 12 May 2015 Kartell is raising the curtain on the special display dedicated to Expo Milano 2015 at its Via Turati Flagship Store in Milan. The store s ten windows become spectacular curtains, represented by fun red velvet decals. Each curtain opens onto a key player or icon of the city of Milan, reinterpreted and paired with Kartell products in original ways. One window opens onto the Duomo, another shows the Scala stage furnished with transparent Louis Ghost chairs, while a reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci s Last Supper becomes the backdrop for two windows with a long table dressed with items from Kartell s new tableware collections. Milan s fashion district presents Philippe Starck s limited edition Mademoiselle à la Mode arm chair, upholstered with Missoni and Moschino fabrics, while Milan s instantly recognisable tram serves as backdrop to Kartell s lighting solutions. And last but not least, Milan s delectable traditional cake, the panettone, will also be featured. The Flagship Store will host special decorative installations that we hope will attract the attention of the city s international visitors. In this way, we pay tribute to Milan and its excellence, with major window focusses on fashion, design, food and art. During the six months of the Expo, Kartell is also hosting a dense programme of events at Via Turati and the Museo, with a different topic each month, starting with today s event, then continuing at the Via Turati Flagship Store with fashion & beauty on 23 June. Other events dedicated to design and innovation are also scheduled in coming months. Kartell for culture - A new Museo Kartell Based on the concept of innovation, Kartell has renovated its corporate museum at the Noviglio headquarters (just outside of Milan, winner of the Guggenheim Corporate and Culture Prize in 2000), completely restructuring and redesigning it with new displays recounting the company s history and products, and highlighting strategic moments that have marked the brand s growth and development. From 3 June to 28 October 2015 (closed in August), a free shuttle service will be available once a week to take visitors from Milan to the Museo Kartell for free guided tours. The shuttle leaves the Flagship Store on Via Turati every Wednesday at 2:30PM, returning to the store by 5:30. Reservations are required and can be made by calling or by info@museokartell.it no later than the Monday prior to the planned visit. The Museo will be included in the corporate museums circuit (Italian association of corporate museums and archives, promoted by Assolombarda and Confindustria), and in a programme of visits throughout the six months of Expo Milano At least twice a month, Museo Kartell will be included in a schedule of Musei d Impresa events, workshops, thematic exhibits and meetings with designers. This is the basis for a dense programme at Kartell s two homes in Milan: its Flagship Store and its corporate museum. Kartell has also initiated various exceptional partnerships that express the company s dynamism, the high profile of its interactions with the institutional and corporate worlds, and the exclusive nature of its collections.

2 Kartell at Expo Milano 2015 Major partnerships Expo Milano 2015 is already a huge success, a fine example of know-how and a strategic platform to discuss its wide-ranging and complex theme Feeding the planet, energy for life. I believed in this event and its huge potential right from the start, from the presentation of our candidature to the day we won over Izmir. It was a real obstacle course; it was complex, difficult and sometimes seemed almost impossible. But today, the results can be seen. Now we need to maintain the enthusiasm and curiosity that were created after the opening ceremony, and continue to believe, all together, in the opportunity this event has to offer. We need to believe in our role in an important debate on the topic of nutrition, and at the same time, represent the finest Italy has to offer, by being an excellent model to the world that s watching us closely. Kartell CEO Claudio Luti speaks with enthusiasm, expressing his personal commitment as Expo Milano 2015 Ambassador, an appointment that he uses to promote the world fair s values and institutional bodies. For this, Kartell has worked on a wide-ranging schedule of initiatives and events reflecting the theme of Expo Milano 2015: Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life. The Kartell for Expo project develops the idea of Energy for Life, which, for the industrial design leader means creative energy, energy in colour, energy to create new designs and products that feed the culture of beauty. In short: energy for the mind. Expo in the city Kartell at Palazzo Reale In its dialogue with Milan and the city s cultural system, Kartell has signed a partnership agreement with the City s Department of Culture, under which it is providing Palazzo Reale with furnishings to complement its exhibitions for an entire year, starting with this spring s major exhibition dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci, which opened 15 April 2015, then continuing with the Giotto exhibition. Kartell is also donating chairs and tables to Palazzo Reale for the Sala delle Cariatidi and Sala delle Otto Colonne. The furniture will remain permanently at the Palazzo. Palazzo Reale is the heart of our city s culture, explains Kartell CEO Claudio Luti. It will be hosting fabulous exhibitions, providing a cultural offering of exceptional quality and unique value for the millions of Expo visitors. I believe it is vital that we support the city in this important programme, which is why Kartell is providing Palazzo Reale and its exhibitions a few objects and furnishings to complete the exhibition spaces and help visitors better view and appreciate the works on display. The historic halls of Palazzo Reale will be home to Kartell transparency, the company s symbol, which harmonises well with any artistic identity, spotlighting the works on display without ever detracting from them. Starting with the genius of Leonardo da Vinci, who experimented with innovation throughout his life, Kartell is contributing one of its latest and most daring products in terms of injecting transparent plastic in a single mould: the Uncle Jack sofa. It was designed by Philippe Starck, and created in the year we celebrate 15 years of transparency. The sofa will share the prestigious halls with the iconic Victoria Ghost and the unique egg-shaped Ero S chairs, which will be placed in the centre of the halls for visitors to use. Kartell with the State Archives Kartell is also making a donation to the State Archives for the exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci s signature, his only existing complete signature written from left to right. For this, Kartell has chosen to donate some of its most

3 iconic transparent furniture items to harmoniously blend in with the site: the Victoria Ghost chairs, La Bohème stools and Ero/s arm chairs. The exhibition will be inaugurated on 18 May. Kartell for Caritas Expo also provides an opportunity for reflection and for giving to charities that feed and befriend the needy. Kartell eagerly accepted the invitation of TV director Davide Rampello and chef Massimo Bottura to join Italian charity Caritas Refettorio Ambrosiano project to serve meals to the city s underprivileged. The refectory will be an attractive and special place in an old 1930s theatre, renovated for the occasion by the Milan Polytechnic. The halls will be decorated with works of art created especially for the occasion by some of today s finest artists. The main hall will welcome Louis Ghost chairs set around 12 large tables created by Italy s biggest names in design. Kartell present at the exclusive Mille Spighe per una Guglia: alla Tavola degli Amici di Expo in Città dinner on Via Della Spiga, 14 May 2015 A thousand Louis Ghost chairs designed by Philippe Starck, and over 300 Battery lamps designed by Ferruccio Laviani will dress a spectacular table that will run the length of Via Della Spiga on 14 May. Via Della Spiga, the heart of the Milanese fashion district, icon of style and elegance to the world, will set the perfect backdrop to reveal Kartell s glamorous heart, its incredible expressive versatility and its ability to make any occasion, in any location, truly exceptional, as Kartell joins yet another project in favour of its hometown. Kartell on the Expo site Kartell is also involved in a variety of initiatives on the Expo site. Official Supplier of Expo Milano 2015, Kartell created one of the outdoor hortus areas, where visitors can sit and rest for a moment. Top Top tables and Lizz and Ami Ami chairs harmonise with the greenery in the area located at the crossroads of the Decumano and Cardo leading to Piazza Italia. Many installations inside the individual pavilions of participating countries have chosen furnishings by Kartell, with the company involved in two major projects. Kartell and the Italian Pavilion As the technical partner of the Italian Pavilion, Kartell has furnished the office of Diana Bracco, President of Expo 2015 s.p.a. and Section General Commissioner for the Italian Pavilion, in addition to the Peck restaurant located on the fourth floor, and its terrace overlooking Piazza Italia and the Tree of Life. Kartell provides the furnishings, and Peck the catering in a special operation that brings together two companies of excellence for the first time on a project that aims to best represent Italian taste and elegance. The Peck restaurant stands out for its bright and spacious area with its broad windows opening onto its spectacular terrace. In this sober and sophisticated space, Kartell chose black, white and transparency to create an extremely sophisticated overall look. Philippe Starck s Tip Top tables were chosen and given a special and precious finish: a glossy white top, glossy black edging, transparent pedestal and black base. Louis Ghost and Victoria Ghost chairs are used in a stunning crystal version. Peck s tables will feature our brand-new underplates from the Jellies Family designed by Patricia Urquiola for the Kartell tableware collection, and the innovative rechargeable Battery LED table lamps by Ferruccio Laviani. Peck s outdoor terrace is divided into two areas: the first upon exiting the restaurant is furnished with Top Top tables and Victoria Ghost chairs (this time in white, transparent, green and red), while the more external area overlooking the Tree of Life is designed as a lounge area. For this section, Kartell chose Uncle Jim arm chairs and transparent Uncle Jack sofas along with transparent, red and green La Bohème occasional tables. The selections play on the refinement of transparency combined with Italy s national colours.

4 The Italian Pavilion, explains CEO Luti, represents our country. So we are pleased and proud to be its technical partner and to make this important contribution. It s exciting for us to work with one of the finest names in catering like Peck, a symbol of Milanese gastronomy. In this way, Kartell combines its icons with an icon of taste to welcome the millions of visitors to the Italian Pavilion and its exclusive restaurant. Kartell and Eataly Kartell is a long-time partner of Eataly, starting with its first store in New York. Now, Kartell has created exclusive products and layouts for the large Eataly space on the Expo Milano 2015 site, with sq. metres of unique Italian flavours and products. Developing the concept of Feeding the planet with culture at the table and on the table, Kartell and its art director, architect Ferruccio Laviani, created special furnishings and products for six different settings, both inside and outside the Eataly space, and for the roomy lounge near the art gallery, for which they chose bright orange Plastics sofas. Top Top tables, designed by Philippe Starck, will be present with eight different tops featuring special limited-edition textures. The chairs will be Victoria Ghost and the Masters, both icons of the brand. Kartell developed three moods to best represent the foods and flavours of Italy with thematic rooms: K loves Italy: Roma 50 with square tables whose tops have a vintage feel, printed with an image of Italy s Dolce Vita of the 1950s, combined with the contemporary design of Masters, the brand s best-selling chair. K loves Italy: Capri is the second mood, with textured surfaces reminiscent of majolica tiles, symbolising Italy s most sophisticated ceramics, paired with the transparency of the iconic Victoria Ghost, designed by Philippe Starck. The third mood, K loves Italy: Montebianco, taken from the company s first designs for Eataly, pairs wood and white with a touch of sparkling light from Bloom lamps. Kartell is also furnishing the lovely garden with Uncle Jack sofas, the brand s latest technological challenge, and the mood K loves Italy: Capri, inspired by the island s unique atmosphere. Kartell has also personalised the Cantine Ferrari lounge inside Eataly with customised products in line with the winemaker s corporate identity, with a total black look and iconic products like the Joe Colombo arm chair, one of the company s biggest sellers from the 1960s that play on the brand s instantly recognisable transparencies. For years, the strong partnership between Kartell and Cantine Ferrari has celebrated Italy s excellence around the world, working together on many events. Next to this space, the Nutella Concept Bar also called on Kartell to furnish its food courts, with One more please bar stools, Philippe Starck s La Marie chairs, and Piero Lissoni s Zoom tables alternating white and transparent crystal. Our presence, with a specific project with Eataly, explains Claudio Luti, Kartell CEO, very clearly represents my vision of Expo s role for companies and our country, that is, to create a system of brands that embody Italian excellence, presenting ourselves together with an innovative idea to a broad and international public that s seeking new ideas. We have a very important role to play, and we need to perform it to the best of our ability, together. Kartell will be present on the Expo site with Eataly, which is a reference for taste, in terms of both food and design, and we will have an opportunity to express all of the beauty Italian know-how is able to create. Kartell and Davide Oldani Caffè Begun last year for the Kartell in Tavola collection which led to the I.D.Ish by D O plates designed personally by Davide Oldani, the partnership with the chef is being renewed and strengthened at Expo at the Davide Oldani Caffè kiosk next to Pavilion Zero. This space has a strong Milanese feel, starting with the Kartell-style design with a mix of black and white furnishings, right down to the menu with Milan s traditional risotto given a twist in a special recipe that will be served on the plates designed by Davide Oldani for Kartell s tableware collection.

5 Kartell for Expo around the world The window displays at Kartell s flagship stores around the world are also promoting the universal exposition and its programmes. The Expo logo will be broken down to create a special headline devised to represent Kartell s commitment to Expo Kartell loves Expo with a special graphic in a window display of colour-coordinated products: Kartell products both transparent and in red and green will be paired and overlapped to create the Expo logo. For more information, contact: Kartell press office Gabriella De Biase/Chiara Saini Tel /285 gabriella.debiase@kartell.it chiara.saini@kartell.it #KartellForExpo